Is belly dance performance a safe job for women?

Question

Why is it associated with burlesque, and does this mean that is potentially linked to stripping, and potentially unsafe situations for women, considering their work takes them into people's homes?

Answer 1

It really isn't any less safe than any other occupation which takes you into the homes of others.  (i.e. Tupperware sales, real estate agents, etc.)  Just like any other such occupation you need to be aware of your surroundings.  You should always take along an assistant, male or female.  There is safety in numbers.  It also helps to have someone to help with costume(s), music, and any other necessary performance preparations.  Restaurant performances are generally safe enough.  

One reason that belly dance likely is associated with burlesque, stripping, etc. is the timing of its introduction to the US.  Belly dance was featured at a World's Fair and the performance was hyped to generate attendance.  The Victorian attitudes prevalent at the time caused the public to be scandalized and see it as something it was not.  Vaudeville/burlesque performers saw the potential to steal the name of belly dance, while sexualizing the performance.  Hollywood also glamorized and sexualized belly dance to entice viewers.  Of course, since this is what people saw, they came to believe that's what belly dance really was.  The best way to educate those who insist on continuing to believe that belly dancers are strippers, pole dancers, lap dancers, etc. is to conduct yourself with class and dignity whenever you are dealing with the public in that role.  

Sites w/info on bellydance

http://www.shira.net/

http://www.middleeasterndance.net/

http://www.bhuz.com/

http://zaghareet.freeservers.com/

http://www.bdancer.com/med-guide/

Answer 2

I honestly think that belly dancing is not for the soft girls.

Much as you may be protected, your life is still in danger.

But it also strongly depends on what you what to do and be.

Good luck dear

Answer 3

I guess it depends on the individual job. I went to a Turkish restaurant 2 wks ago and there was a belly dancer performing there and I highly doubt she was in any danger.

In fact she encouraged patrons to participate and I was one who gave it a try for fun as it was mostly girls who she pulled from their seats to get up and dance.

I think it's compared to burlesque as some of the moves are very similar to belly dance just the burlesque moves can be more slow and deliberate. Both forms of dance are considered suggestive but there doesn't have to be stripping involved.

My sister and I attend burlesque dance classes. If you have seen the dancing in the movie Chicago, that's pretty much what we do (no stripping). There's a belly dance class just before ours starts. We were surprised to see the belly dance moves were mostly the same as we had been learning only faster.

No one is taught or expected to strip and it's not essential to either dance form but as strippers regularly use belly dance/burlesque moves in their routines I guess it can be considered sleazy to some people.

Answer 4

I've been around belly dancers for over 30 years now, in just about all potential situations.

First, belly dancing is NOT stripping or burlesque.  The women who work in those industries may try to copy a few bellydance moves, but genuine bellydance is a disciplined art that requires more time, effort and devotion than the 'gentlemen's club' dancers have to devote to it.

Secondly, you will find that it's very difficult to make money as a belly dancer.  Those strippers make a LOT more!  The highest-paid bellydancers are the nationally known performers like Rachel Brice (look up "Belly Dance Superstars" sometime)--and Rachel makes a good deal of money from teaching as well as performing.  Most of the dancers I know get paid little or nothing, they do it for the joy of the dance and the only gratification they get otherwise is applause.

If you are a dancer who works for some bellygram company or other firm that sends you into people's homes, you should always be accompanied by a male escort to ensure your safety (and the overall propriety of everyone's conduct, including your own).  If as an independent dancer, you decide to perform in a private home, you should provide your own escort.

MOST working dancers perform in Greek nightclubs, where the crowd can get a little rough but not sexually abusive; at festivals and other public events where they're onstage and the risk is non-existent, and at belly dance shows where the audience is mostly other dancers (and musicians like me who like to play for them).

Answer 5

it all depends on what kind of work you do. belly dancing isn't unsafe. it also depends on where you work, so chose wisely!

Answer 6

Belly Dancing became associated with burlesque due to the "typical" costuming of belly dancers being similar to the costumes of burlesque performers.  In the early talkies, 30's "flickers"--directed by such influential directors as Pabst in Germany--belly dancing was introduced to the general public as a seductive, lurid style of dancing, often done in a harem setting.  I would be cautious about performing with such a troupe without doing a check on what types of bookings they accept and doing a background check on the primary investors to be sure all is on the up and up.  You don't say how old you are or where this group is located, but rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution when it comes to "in-home entertainment" companies.

Answer 7

As long as you work in middle eastern restaurants that have a family atmosphere then it should be more than safe. Bellydance is considered very much ok for the whole family to see in the middle eastern cultures. I know cause my parents came from lebanon lol.

Answer 8

i dont think so...maybe